Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

Sunday, December 28^th, 2025   Feast of the Holy Family  and January 1^st, 2026  Mary Mother of God

St. Mary, St. Patrick, St. Philip Parishes

Mailing address for all three parishes:  PO Box 35, Seneca WI 54654

Website: https://www.catholicchurchesofncc.com

Confessions: Normally, 30 minutes before every Mass  and by appointment.

Normal Monthly Eucharistic Adoration:

St. Patrick: First Friday after the 8:30 AM Mass

St. Philip: First Sunday after the 10:30 AM Mass

Mass Intentions This Week

Pastor: Fr. Tom Huff –Rectory 608-734-3252 frtomhuff@gmail.com

Bookkeeper, Bulletin, Mass Intentions: Kevin Murray – 608-391-0434 secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

Membership: Yvonne Hady -- 608 485-2109 hadyy@mwt.net

New Bulletin Information Deadline: Mondays at 6:00 PM. Bulletin is posted on our website.

UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

Mother of God Masses

7:00pm Wednesday, December 31^st - St. Mary (Fr. Tom)

8:30am Thursday, January 1^st - St. Patrick (Fr. Tom)

10:30 am Thursday, January 1^st - St. Philip (Monsignor Gorman)

Adult Faith Study at St. Mary is on Tuesday December 30^th at 1:30pm

St. Patrick Announcements:

A sincere Thank you from the Arts and Environment Team to everyone who donated in Memory/Honor towards our beautiful poinsettias this Christmas season!

Fr. Tom: In Loving Memory of Jeanne & Joe Huff, Fr Tom: Blessings for the Pipher family, Foley Family: In Memory of Mick Foley & Dennis Hurd, Susie & Scott Garfoot: In Memory of Ronnie & Dianne Bird, Oppriecht Family: Deceased Oppriecht Family & Members, Payne Family: In Memory of Rylee Payne, Gary Hamann: In Memory of Rita Hamann, Julie Joy & Michel: In Memory of Bernard & Norene Joy, Joel & Kathryn Anderson: In Memory of Larry Anderson, Tom & Kari Oppriecht family: In Memory of Greg & Rella Oppriecht, Allan Schneider: In Memory of Herb & Helen Schneider, Don & Marilyn Palmer: In Memory of Glen & Ethel Palmer, Curtis & Jeanne Palmer: In Memory of Leo & Marcella Mullarkey- Marie Mullarkey- Alice & Gary Larson- Leonard Gebhart-Jerald Chapin, Dixie McCullick: In Memory of Donald McCullick, Kim Redman & Jim Greene: In Memory of Sandra Greene, Ruth Ann Gudenschwager: In Memory of Florence Kozelka, Ica Boylen: In Memory of Jim & Nancy Boylen, Russ & Julie Chambers Family: In Memory of Esther Elizabeth Stewart & Bob Chambers, Bob & Nancy Ostrander: In Honor of Deceased Family Members, Mark & Anne Johnson: In Honor of Norman & Marie Johnson, Carolyn & Carlee Hammell: Blessings for Boland & Fisher Families, Ann Boland: In Memory of Leo & Florence Weber, Ann Boland: In Memory of Rick & Carol Hutchcraft & Mary Fowler, Priscilla Kelley In Memory of Larry Kelley, Mike & Jeanne Boland: In Honor of the Boland Families

St. Philip Announcements:

Thank you to all who helped decorate the church for Christmas. The church looks beautiful and your help is greatly appreciated.

St. Philip Candles: Contact Bonnie Murphy. The cost is $5 per candle.

Food Pantry items are needed. Please leave any gift at the rear of the Church.

St. Mary Announcements:

St. Mary's is hosting our annual Christmas Season Party on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 12:30 PM at the American Legion Hall in Gays Mills.  Members of all three parishes are invited to attend. More information to follow....but Save the Date!

Rosary – 30 minutes before Mass -- St. Mary’s Church is open each day from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm (winter hours). You are welcome to stop in to pray and/or light a candle for your special intention.

First Sunday Potluck Brunch after Mass each first Sunday of the month. All are welcome, dish to share is appreciated, but not required. Next potluck is Sunday, Jan. 4^th.

Food Pantry Donations can be left in the basket in the rear of the Church.

Tri-Parish Announcements:

We need more Mass Intentions for All Parishes

Youth Envelopes: If the youth members of our parishes would like their own youth envelopes for giving to the Church let us know. Youth envelopes are available. Please contact Kevin if you are interested.

2026 Donation Envelopes are available now. If you do not receive envelopes currently and would like to, please contact Kevin Murray 608-391-0434 secretary@ncc.diolcparish.org

Other Announcements: None at this time

Income from Last Week

From the Priest’s Corner: Feast of the Holy Family

It is amazing that God chose to enter our fallen human condition by becoming Incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was born of her, raised by her and Saint Joseph, acquired human knowledge through their teaching, worked with His hands, experienced the fullness of human society, and did so within the context of an earthly family.

In 1890 Pope Leo XIII emphasized the duties of Christians as citizens in a changing world. He feared that the desire for economic advancement and the communistic separation of God from the political structures would result in the breakdown of the family, the fundamental building block of society. In 1892, he also highlighted the importance of the Holy Family for the world as a model for every virtue necessary for human growth.

To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care. In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith. And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate.

And in 1893, Pope Leo XIII instituted the Feast of the Holy Family as a liturgical celebration to be celebrated in any diocese that requested it. In 1921, Pope Benedict XV added the Feast of the Holy Family to the universal Church calendar.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II, reinforced the concept of the family as the “domestic church” with its role in fostering prayer, teaching the faith, and nurturing Christian virtues. He highlighted that in the family, the Christian faith is first proclaimed to children, making the family vital to the mission of the Church, and the most fundamental institution in the world.

The Holy Family revealed the kindness, respect, obedience, unity, charity, and every other Christian virtue as the model for Christian living and for family life. Their family began in Bethlehem, in poverty and rejection. They then fled to Egypt to protect their Child from the paranoia and cruelty of Herod. They later returned to Nazareth and lived faithfully with family and friends. Jesus learned the trade of woodworking from Joseph, grew in wisdom and knowledge, spoke with the elders in the Temple at the age of twelve, and remained obedient to his earthly parents.

Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches us that Jesus had direct knowledge of the Beatific Vision from the moment of His conception and had the fullness of infused knowledge. But He also grew in acquired knowledge, learning with a human mind through sensory experience and conceptual understanding. Some families more fully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family while others fall gravely short. Every family can receive inspiration from their lives, leading to greater growth and unity, making your own family a greater source of strength for your Christian living.

DIVINE MERCY IN MY SOUL - God loved us so much that He came among us and was born in a lonely manger to win our hearts for His own. In this way, St. Faustina reminds each of us to simply bask in the holy presence of the Christ child. As she wrote…”the inconceivable miracle of Your Mercy takes place, O Lord. The Word becomes flesh: God dwells among us, the Word of God, MERCY INCARNATE.” (Diary 1745)

Tri-Parish Prayer List – We want to pray for the ill and others in our parishes who need ongoing prayer. To be placed on or to place someone on our prayer list, please call: Sue Peterson 608-735-4865, Bonnie Murphy 608-386-4954, or Ica Boylen 608-734-3287.

MOTHER OF GOD SOLEMNITY

Is a Holy Day of Obligation

Our Blessed Mother is given the unique title of “Mother of God” first and foremost to express our faith in the divinity of Jesus. Jesus was both human and divine, but in Him these two natures were perfectly united. Therefore, one cannot say that Mary was only the mother of the humanity of Jesus, she was the mother of the Person. And that one Person was, at the same time, God and man.

Recall that once Jesus began His public ministry and was teaching, there was a woman in the crowd who cried out, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Jesus corrected her by saying, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”. At first read, one could conclude that Jesus was downplaying the role of His own mother, but He was actually doing the opposite. Jesus was actually highlighting the most unifying aspect of His relationship with His mother. Mary was not His mother only in a biological sense. She wasn’t blessed only because she bore Him in her womb. Rather, her deepest union with her divine Son came from her spiritual union with His will and that of the Father in Heaven. She said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”. She heard the word of God and observed it perfectly. She did that at the Annunciation, she continued to do so as she raised her Child, and she did it most perfectly as she stood before the Cross, offering her dying Son to the Father for the salvation of the world. Mary’s motherhood was one that encompassed her whole being. It was one that united her to her Son in ways we will never fully comprehend.

Mary is the Mother of God and, therefore, is the mother of all of God’s children, including you. Honor and love your heavenly mother today and rejoice as you reflect upon this glorious queen and holy mother.